Friday Nights
by everyday0203
Summary: Prompt #4 - Alternative Universe.


Prompt #4 - Alternative Universe

* * *

"I'm home!" she shouted as she entered their tiny apartment.  
Silence greeted her, as well as a dark apartment.

Taking care to not make too much noise, she hung up her winter coat and quickly threw on the hoodie that was hanging next to it.  
The apartment air was cold, but at least there wasn't any blood freezing wind.

She silently walked to their bedroom and couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted her.  
He was sleeping with the blankets cocooned around him. His red hair appeared to be glowing thanks to the streetlight outside of their window.  
Smiling to herself, she snuck into the attached bathroom and quickly closed the door behind her. A quick shower and then she could curl up next to him, soaking up the heat that came off of him like a furnace.

It was Friday night, the one night they both looked forward to the whole week.  
It was the night that promised they would see each other without a single thought of work getting in the way.

These days, it always seemed like as she was coming in, he was going out.  
She worked nights at the hospital as a student, trying to rack up the amount of experience hours she needed to graduate.  
He woke up early to train in the dojo before he ran off to catch the bus for his part-time job.  
It was a crazy and hectic life, but they needed the money.

With her student loans, rent, and bills, they barely made enough to survive. Everyday seemed like a struggle between paying off the rent and scrounging enough money together to get some food.

But somehow, they made it work. Besides, there was always the promise of Friday nights.

Letting the hot water run down her back, Sakura thought back on all the good times they still managed to have.  
Any other person looking in wouldn't understand. But somehow, TV dinners by candlelight and a simple handpicked flower sitting in a plastic cup when she got home meant the world to her. She didn't need or want for anything else.

He would argue with her that he could quit his dream of becoming a world class fighter and actually get a good paying full-time job...then things wouldn't be so tight. He could take care of her then.  
But she wouldn't dream of such a thing. She knew he would be miserable, even if never said anything about it.

Fighting was his life, just like becoming a doctor one day was hers.  
She knew things would get better eventually, but for now, this would do.

Crawling into bed next to him, she gently brushed the hair out of his face.  
Scrunching his forehead together, he stretched lazily and opened one eye to look at her.

"Hey." she whispered, a ghost of a smile on her face.  
"Hey, when did you get home?"  
"Not too long ago, go back to sleep."  
"Hn. How'd your night go?"  
"It was fine, we weren't too busy."  
"All is well in the halls of Konoha hospital?"

Smiling, she nodded her head slightly, trying to stifle a shiver that ran up her spine.  
"Cold?"  
Nodding again, she shrugged it off. She knew it bothered him that they couldn't turn the heat up anymore...they just couldn't afford it.

"Come here." he said, lifting the blankets up so she could come in.  
Curling up against him, she immediately began to warm up.

"I have a surprise for you," he mumbled into her hair.  
Looking up at him, she gave him a questioning look.  
"Now, no complaining. It took me a long time to save up for this."

Eying him wearily as she watched him shuffle around with something on the nightstand, she handled the envelope he gave her with caution.  
Inside were two tickets to her favorite band.

Letting out a squeal, she all but squashed him as she lunged at him. "How? We don't have the money for this!"  
"Like I said, it took me awhile to save up for them. I've been putting in extra hours at the garage."  
"You really shouldn't have, Gaara."  
"I know, but I thought it would be nice to get out of this place for a while."  
"But you _hate_ this band."  
"But I like you, so it evens out."

Fighting back tears, she gave him another hug. "Thank you so much, this means so much to me."  
"I know."

They lay in silence for a while. Quietly enjoying each other's company.  
It had been a whole week since they had last seen each other, and everyday seemed like an eternity.

"I stopped by the Konoha office buildings today..." he started. "One of the businesses is hiring. Guaranteed forty hours a week, with time and a half for over time. Pay starts at $13.00 an hour. "  
"And how many hours would you have to dedicate starting out?"  
"At least 60. But I can spread it out however I want once they train me. I could work ten hour days and still have a day to see you."

"Work in the bus schedule with that, and you would be gone all the time. When would you have time to train?" Sakura added in.  
"It would help." he added softly.  
"Gaara, I know you have this notion that you need to take care of me, but I don't want you to sacrifice your dreams so I can chase after mine."

Letting out a sigh of defeat, he leaned his head against the pillow.  
"We're going to make it, I promise."  
"How?" he asked barely above a whisper.  
"Because I love you, that's why."  
"Sakura..."  
"Stop. I mean it...I don't want to hear another word about it."  
"And you say that _I'm_ the stubborn one..." he mumbled.

Laughing and hitting him with her pillow, she cuddled in close to him once again.  
Fitting together like puzzle pieces, they drifted off to sleep together.  
Tomorrow was a whole day they had to themselves.  
It was the day where they could forget about their problems and focus on the reason why they were doing this in the first place: each other.


End file.
